Zachary Quinto, who first came to widespread attention as the young Mr. Spock on Star Trek and as as psychopathic killer in Heroes, is one of those guys who has been out, more or less, to everyone who knew him, but who has been somewhat reserved about it in public. Which probably explains the “oh, didn’t you know?” tone of what he told New York magazine:

For one thing, he’s willing to unambiguously talk about his sexual orientation. His eight-month role in (Angels in America) was both “the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as an actor and the most rewarding” he says. Having to inhabit that terrible lost world, if only in his mind, took a toll. “And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like there’s still so much work to be done, and there’s still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed.”

Quinto has played a series of gay roles, including on Tori Spelling’s TV show So NoTORIous, and on the new FX series American Horror Story, where he plays the kinky dead owner of the haunted house, and has been outspoken about gay-rights issues. Last year, the Times, in profiling him for Angels, noted that “the blogosphere is rife with speculation about his sexuality” but that “he prefers not to feed the rumor mill with either substantiation or dismissal.” That has changed. A little while later in our conversation, speaking of the cultural bipolarity that can see gay marriage legalized in New York in the same year that yet another gay teenager, Jamey Rodemeyer, was bullied and killed himself, Quinto says, “And again, as a gay man I look at that and say there’s a hopelessness that surrounds it, but as a human being I look at it and say ‘Why? Where’s this disparity coming from, and why can’t we as a culture and society dig deeper to examine that?’ We’re terrified of facing ourselves.”

“[I]n light of jamey’s death – it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it – is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. … i believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society – and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action.”

“…one of those guys who has been out, more or less, to everyone who knew him…”

What does this mean and how can you know this without knowing everyone who knew him?

“…has been somewhat reserved about it in public.”

It would take more time than I have today to count how much gay-related work Quinto has done since becoming famous (theatre, charity, public appearances, etc.), but it’s been a lot and it’s been consistent.

Quinto being gay was never a secret, and I agree it’s a good thing that he said the words in public, but doing everything but saying the words — living a completely honest private life while standing up for equal rights and giving back to the community constantly in public — has to count for something, too.

That being said, this idea that being gay is a career-killer in Hollywood is now officially dead — yet again.

@justme – I totally agree that living a completely open life should count for something, but using the whole “I don’t comment on my personal life” dodge does mean he and his people were buying into the notion that being gay or lesbian is still something to hide. As Quinto himself so perfectly put it:

living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it â€“ is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality

That is the key distinction here – being able to speak openly about it means you are truly not ashamed of who you are.

I also think, though, that we need to push the media more on this as well. People like Quinto, Jody Foster and Anderson Cooper all live openly gay lives, with partners and in some cases children. The media should report on those lives in the exact same way as they do straight lives, but the media still won’t discuss LBGT celebrities unless and until they explicitly come out.

Not so fast Justme. There is still a considerable risk. Leading man roles alongside hot females is still and elusive thing for gay men who are out.

So is a gay man playing a gay man.
Hello!
Brokeback Mountain starred two straight guys.
There is still a lot of work to be done. But it IS changing.
That Spock/Uhura hot romance totally worked for ME.
I’m a die hard Trekker, AND I knew about Zach too. We’ve got mutual buddies and he pushed my wheelchair for me during the big Prop. 8 protest.

I’m just happy he got to a place where it might hopefully help him more than hurt.

He’s a very warm, wonderful human being to get affection from.
And I’d love him, with…or without.

In this original BTB Investigation, we unveil the tragic story of Kirk Murphy, a four-year-old boy who was treated for “cross-gender disturbance” in 1970 by a young grad student by the name of George Rekers. This story is a stark reminder that there are severe and damaging consequences when therapists try to ensure that boys will be boys.

When we first reported on three American anti-gay activists traveling to Kampala for a three-day conference, we had no idea that it would be the first report of a long string of events leading to a proposal to institute the death penalty for LGBT people. But that is exactly what happened. In this report, we review our collection of more than 500 posts to tell the story of one nation’s embrace of hatred toward gay people. This report will be updated continuously as events continue to unfold. Check here for the latest updates.

In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote that “[Paul] Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi Germany.” What the SPLC didn”t know was Cameron doesn’t just “echo” Nazi Germany. He quoted extensively from one of the Final Solution’s architects. This puts his fascination with quarantines, mandatory tattoos, and extermination being a “plausible idea” in a whole new and deeply disturbing light.

From the Inside: Focus on the Family’s “Love Won Out”

On February 10, I attended an all-day “Love Won Out” ex-gay conference in Phoenix, put on by Focus on the Family and Exodus International. In this series of reports, I talk about what I learned there: the people who go to these conferences, the things that they hear, and what this all means for them, their families and for the rest of us.

Using the same research methods employed by most anti-gay political pressure groups, we examine the statistics and the case studies that dispel many of the myths about heterosexuality. Download your copy today!

Anti-gay activists often charge that gay men and women pose a threat to children. In this report, we explore the supposed connection between homosexuality and child sexual abuse, the conclusions reached by the most knowledgeable professionals in the field, and how anti-gay activists continue to ignore their findings. This has tremendous consequences, not just for gay men and women, but more importantly for the safety of all our children.

Anti-gay activists often cite the “Dutch Study” to claim that gay unions last only about 1½ years and that the these men have an average of eight additional partners per year outside of their steady relationship. In this report, we will take you step by step into the study to see whether the claims are true.

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council submitted an Amicus Brief to the Maryland Court of Appeals as that court prepared to consider the issue of gay marriage. We examine just one small section of that brief to reveal the junk science and fraudulent claims of the Family “Research” Council.

The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.